Along the Way was a story about the different relationships between three different fathers and their sons. The first father Michael Chabon introduced into the story was Nicky's grandfather. Nicky's portrait of his grandfather depicted him as a lukewarm person who only seemed to bond with his son when they were shopping for pumpkins. I came to this conclusion because it appears that Nicky's father is following in his father's footsteps by taking his son pumpkin hunting every year. Michael Chabon described that Nicky's grandfather was not such a loving person. He states that when he cut pumpkin he was very efficient and didn't like getting his hands dirty at all. I got him because maybe he wasn't very playful with his son and didn't do many fun activities with him. This is why Nicky's father relives this memory, because it may have been one of the few that he actually liked. The next father Michael Chabon introduces is Nicky's father. Nicky's father is affectionate towards his son, but also has the ability to be strict. During the story you find out that he and his wife lost their baby girl at the age of 17 weeks. While grieving the death and trying to get over the situation, Nicky's mother suggests that Nicky and his father go pumpkin hunting for Halloween. Nicky's father took his son out with the intention of having him look for a pumpkin and bring it back home. . He did not at all suspect that he would encounter something more, but in fact he did. Nicky and his father went looking for a pumpkin in a place he describes as “a patch of land so devoid of life and interest that from January to October, I'm sure, no one sees it at all.””.”.